1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handle for tools used to clean cooking grills, and particularly to a handle having a forearm embracing portion and an upstanding griping portion structured to enable the user to apply a downwardly directed force against the grill surface while protecting the user's hand from contact with a hot grill.
2. Description the Related Art
The use of grills for cooking a wide variety of food items is widespread especially in the restaurant industry. When cooking on a grill especially in a busy restaurant, it is necessary to clean the grill frequently so that food being cooked is properly prepared. This helps to maintain the flavor of the food, while preventing exposure to excess grease and accumulated burned particles from previously cooked foods. Due to the necessity to regularly clean a grill, between cooking of different food items, and because grease and other particulate is easier to remove from the grill at hotter temperatures, grills are usually cleaned when they are hot.
There are various tools which are used for grill cleaning, the most common being a scraper or blade and a grill brush. The handles used with these tools are similar to handles normally found on other scraping tools and cooking utensils, extending straight from the blade or brush and including an area for grasping by a hand. While the grill cleaning tools in the related art are somewhat effective and useful for their extended purpose, the structure and design of the handles provides no protection against contact of the user's hand with a hot grill. And because grills and the cleaning tools are often covered with grease and other slippery substances, many cooks have been burned due to their hands slipping off of the handle and contacting the hot grill. Additionally, the handle structures in the related art fail to provide a means to generate sufficient leverage in order to apply a substantial force on the tool against the grill surface to scrape off stubborn accumulated substances. Thus, cooks are often forced to use two hands when grasping the grill cleaning tool handle in order to generate sufficient leverage while preventing their hand from slipping off of the handle and contacting the grill.
Accordingly, there is a need in the grill cleaning tool art for a handle which is structured to protect the user's hand from contact with hot grills, while requiring the use of only one hand to generate sufficient leverage against the grill surface.